The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) provides care to patients admitted to the Small Animal Hospital that require the most attention. All dog and cat emergencies are admitted through the ICU team. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality care for critically ill small animals. Inpatients requiring frequent observations are also hospitalised in this area as it is manned 24 hours a day by a team of academic vets, residents, interns, nurses, ACAs and students.
The residents and interns rotate through the ICU and provide veterinary care under the supervision of one of the senior academic vets to the variety of hospitalised patients. Dan Lewis heads the team and is supported by Senior ICU nurse Eleanor Haskey and ICU nurse Bronwyn Hayward. We have 3 qualified RVNs Holly Witchell, Michelle Gunn and Jessica May who manage the patient's needs overnight along with one of the interns. The nurses are responsible for overseeing the nursing requirements of the patients during their hospitalisation. We also have a full time animal care assistant Paul Rice who is responsible for keeping the area clean and tidy, stocked, grooming and bathing patients and assisting other members of the team.
The veterinary students spend 3 weeks on a canine medicine and intensive care rotation and so get time to know their patients. Teaching is an important part of our work, and veterinary students rotate through the ICU in groups of 3-4 and veterinary nursing students (one at a time).
The ICU has a variety of monitoring modalities including direct and indirect arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, arterial blood gas, capnography, pulse oximetry and a patient side laboratory (basic haematology, emergency database including electrolytes).
- The ICU has space for 8 cats & 9 dogs at any one time
- On average there are usually 8-10 patients in the ICU
- There is an average of 1-2 emergency admissions per day but sometimes 5-6
